


Changing Shapes

by CrystalHopeDragon



Series: The Tennyson Family [2]
Category: Ben 10, ben 10 Omniverse
Genre: Anodite form, I couldn't resist, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 07:31:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10079579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalHopeDragon/pseuds/CrystalHopeDragon
Summary: Fresh back from their space road trip at the end of the series, Ben has been feeling antsy. It feels like there is energy under his skin just waiting to breach the surface. Turns out there actually is. Does activation of Anodite DNA have something to do with emotional stress? Well, at least for Ben Tennyson it does.In the mean time, Rook has to deal with a different form of emotional stress. Who knew Ben would look so gorgeous like this? So strong, and comfortable, and right? Lots of things have been bubbling under the surface it seems, and it's time for them to come out.





	

Ben's POV

It was supposed to be just a regular mission; I needed it to be just a common mission. I'd been feeling antsy all day, like there was energy bubbling under my skin just waiting to rise to the surface. It was itchy and stretching and it HURT. I wanted something to blow it on, something that I could just run wild with and not think too much on. Since we had gotten back to Earth after the road trip it had been pretty slow, and the leftover energy from our space adventure hadn't helped keep me calm. Waking up this morning with an undercurrent of new agitation wasn't helping, so I was hoping this battle would help me blow it. 

And it was the Vreedle's! This battle was set up to be an all out brawl, more than enough Vreedle brothers for me to fight! What I wasn't expecting was the new weapons they were packing, or the Omnitrix not working at all, or Rook managing to get pinned by an angry Rhomboid desperate for his Ma's attention or a trigger happy Octagon near them... I was too far away, with no Omnitrix online, no Skurd or other backup, more anger and energy than I could handle, terrified I was about to loose one of the only people I could truly trust and cared about and...

And then everything went pink.

It felt like all the muscles in my body had finally relaxed, the energy under my skin dissipating slightly as if it had been scattered around me. Everything was a bizarre shade of pink afterwards but at least I didn't feel quite as built up. I felt relaxed, calm even, and everyone being blown back against the wall and Rook landing on his feet helped keep me that way. They were all giving me weird looks, but I honestly felt so much better I didn't care.

"Ben..." Rook mumbled out, staring at me in awe. I didn't know why, I was still confused over the blast that had knocked them back that seemed to come from my direction, but at Rook's call I decided to look down and see what warranted the looks. I saw purple; then I screamed.

\---

Rook's POV

I was pinned, blaster pointed at me -regretting not making that will when Magister Tennyson recommended it-, Ben's Omnitrix malfunctioning and he himself too far away to help, and the situation looked dire indeed. I saw the blaster power up and clenched my eyes for the pain... but the only thing I felt was a burst of power force me against the wall. I instinctively landed on my feet, prototool in hand, ready to continue the fight. Then I looked at Ben, and everything in my being froze at the sight. 

He looked...gorgeous. 

Ben had always been attractive, that was obvious. For his species he was healthy, symmetrical, clear of skin, and well shaped. Females of his species and others had fawned over him the entirety of the time I had known him, and most likely long before. Still, I had forced myself to not take heed of it. He had never shown any direct interest in males and I did not want to make my appreciation for his appearance uncomfortable for him. He was my closest friend, and I valued that far more than any physical attraction. This though...this was awe inspiring.

He was an Anodite, that was obvious. Like his cousins and grandmother before him he had awoken this form. His seemed less from practice and planning though and more from emotional distress (It 'heated my heart' to think that he awoke this form in a desire to save me), of which made sense as Ben had always been a more emotion driven being. The waves of pink were still emanating off of him from the energy blast that had forced us all against the wall, and he seemed far more relaxed then I had seen him in days. His hair -while still in the same shape- was now a glowing pink and more alight, while his skin had turned a slightly darker shade of purple than Gwen's. His eyes were pink as well, and we're slowly scanning us, remaining calm as the Vreedle's scattered in fear and I remained fixed by the sight.

"Ben..." I finally whispered, awed by this new form. It felt more...him, then any of his others ever had, maybe even more than his own human form. He looked strong and happy like this, even if he was far from his own favorite colors. The energy he always seemed ready to burst with was now literally emanating off of him, far more uncontrolled and wild than any Anodite I had ever seen, and it all just seemed...right. 

He looked down upon my mention of his name, seemed to notice what had happened, and promptly screamed. He floated up in the process, twisting in the air in an attempt to get a better look at himself, of which I personally was appreciating the view. His body looked like a simplified glowing mass of his human body, though lacking any clothes or visible genitals. It really was quite an ascetically pleasing sight none the less. 

"Ben, calm down." I finally spoke up as I walked towards him. There were other plumbers arriving by now - they could handle the Vreedle's, I had bigger concerns. 

"I'm-I'm an Anodite!" He said in awe, still turning in circles. 

"Yes, yes you are, and might I recommend calling Gwendolyn, or your grandmother?" I mention as I get closer, glad his surprise turned to excitement rather than anxiety.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute! This is awesome!" He said as he did a little flip, flying slightly higher. He spun again with his legs straight forward and his arms to the sides, seeming to relish in his newfound weighlessness. "No wonder Gwen loves this so much!" He flew down close to me and circled around my sides at a sideways angle before settling on the ground before me, my heart pounding in surprise at his close proximity. "I wonder how she turns back though?"

"Which is why I recommended a phone all." I say with fond exasperation in my tone. His energy knows no bounds, which should be more worrying as he is now literally made of energy. For him though, it is no less worrying than his usual abilities, so I try not to dwell on his increasing array of power. 

"Right." He says with a small smile, grabbing his phone and wallet off the ground (where they fell when his clothes evaporated in the blast). I hear two rings and someone pick up. 

"Gwen? 

Yeah yeah, Gwendolyn. Quick question, how do you turn back from your Anodite form to your human one? 

Why do you THINK I'd be asking? 

Yes I'm okay, though I think the Vreedle's might be a bit scarred. 

Yes, Rook's fine too. Now at least." He sends a light glance my way and does what I can only approximate as an eye roll, before continuing on. "Getting him out of trouble was part of what made this kick in. Now how do I turn back?

Okay, thanks.

Yeah, I'll see you then, later." He hangs up and seems to focus (eyes clenched shut and face scrunched up in that adorable mannered he usually does when thinking strongly), before falling to the ground on his rear, human once more, and his clothes back on him. He glances down, around, and blinks in suprise. "Huh, it really is all imagination and focus. Cool." He glances back at me, "She's on her way. Said she'd get grandma too, if she can. That woman's harder to track than Cousin Lucy." 

I put my hand out to help him up and he grabs it appreciatively, a small smile on his face. My heart flutters again from both the smile and the contact, and I have to firmly remind myself that this is not the right person to feel such things for. I may have decided that Reyona and my relationship was doomed a while ago and carefully ended it (we had nothing in common but manners and upbringing), but that does not make my partner a viable relationship option now. So no, heart, no.

The fact that he doesn't let go of my hand and just pulls me along behind him as he walks doesn't help, and I have to once again say no to my heart as it beats wildly in my chest in response. 

Ben's POV

For most people, having a life or death experience can lead to revelations about their life. For me, watching Rook have a life or death experience lead to one instead. That one being that I can't imagine my life without him, something that should probably be more worrying. The thought of loosing him was downright terrifying, and from the moment I managed to get some physical contact with him after the experience I've been having trouble letting go, something that is also worrying. Gwen showed up at the house two hours after I called her to us watching Sumo Slammers and still holding hands, for Peat's sake! I was sitting pretty close to him as well, and Rook's been blushing deep enough to see though his fur yet he hasn't made me move for some reason. Gwen quirks an eyebrow at the sight of us relaxed on the couch but doesn't comment, just stands with her hands on her hips. 

"Well, come on, show it." She says with a wave of her hand. 

I raise an eyebrow of my own but concede, closing my eyes to focus again. It feels like all the tension flows out of me again as I imagine the Anodite form I felt before, and the weightlessness returns. Rook's hand in my own tightens, but before I can worry about what that means I hear, "You little ass! It took me a year to transform properly, how did you figure it out in a day?!"

I shrug. "It doesn't feel that different from any of my usual transformations, and I've got years of practice with those." 

"He also went into this form first before obtaining any other skills. This is literally the only portion of his Anodite powers he has any current control over. Unlike you he knows no spells or control skills, and seems to be running on pure power and creativity for attacks. To save me when he first changed all he did was discharge a large blast of mana in all directions." Rook responds beside me.

"And I didn't even do that on purpose. Heck, I didn't even know it was from me til afterwards!" I respond as I squeeze Rook's hand in thanks. Any extra help with an irate cousin is appreciated, especially when her pride is out.

She sighed. "Fine, fine, I guess it makes sense. The wielder of the Omnitrix would feel more comfortable with a transformation than a shield spell for his first power. Still, don't overdo it, okay? You may be made of pure mana, but you don't know how to absorb more yet. Don't use up too much energy until you learn how to draw more in from the world around you, because currently you are just using your own calories and life force to supply your attacks."

"Duly noted." I say with a grin. Also, have I been using Rook's sayings too much? "But that doesn't mean I can't practice at all, just that I gotta be careful, right?" She nods cautiously, obviously not liking this direction of thought. "So what was that shield spell again?"

\---

Rook's POV

3 hours, two large air-born explosions -and an annoyed Gwendolyn- later, their grandmother arrived. She was ecstatic. She had just obtained her third Anodite grandchild, and her first male one at that, at least from what my knowledge on her holds. She kept Ben up there for another 2 hours just showing him tricks and making sure his shield spell was actually a shield and not just a bomb. 

While they were at work on that I went inside to assist Mrs. Tennyson with the cooking. Earth recipes were relatively simple, if a bit bland for my tastes, but Ben seemed to enjoy most of them so it seemed like a fair balance. Not too flavorful for him and not too bland for me, so I usually used them for our shared meals if I wasn't within access to any amberogia. 

We were just fixing chili anyway, so it was a pretty simple bit of work while we waited for the family to settle down and come inside. 

...Since when did I start internalizing them as my family as well?

Before I had time to dwell on that, an exhausted Ben phased through the ceiling and landed in a chair, turning back as he did (I wondered briefly if he figured that out so quickly because of its similarities to his necrofriggian abilities). His grandma followed after, though Gwendolyn used the front door. Verdona stayed in her Anodite form while Gwen also returned to human, and as they sat down I handed out the bowls.

"Ooo, and he cooks! This one might be a keeper, Benny!" Verdona starts with, and to be honest as the first words I have ever had specifically directed at me from his grandmother I was a bit horrified. Of all the things for her to start with! 

"Grandma!" He splutters indignantly, blushing nearly as heavily as I was. I was also quite speechless though. I do not think I can get any more embarrassed. 

"O hush Benny, I won't bother the poor fellow too much. He seems fun to tease, but I don't want to break him. That seems to be your job." She said with a wink at us both, and I was wrong. I truly can get more embarrassed. What does that even mean?!

"Come now Verdona, don't tease the poor boys too heavily. They're young, they'll learn to appreciate your jokes with time but not so much now. Now sit and eat. O, and proper introductions! Rook Blonko, this is Verdona Tennyson, though I'm sure you've heard plenty about her!" Ben's mother starts with as she also brings food over to the table and Ben goes to grab the entrees, obviously in an attempt to escape the discussion. I glare in his direction but respond to his grandmother anyway, his escapism being ignored for the moment. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, I have heard many exciting and interesting stories about you ma'am." I say with the slight bow Ben greeted my elders with.

"O I've heard plenty about you too Rook dear, your next to all Ben talks about! Rook did this, Rook saved that, Rook taught me this, I swear! I haven't heard him prattle on about anything this badly since I asked him what sumo slammers was!" She said with a laugh, while my blush continued to deepen. Does he really discuss our adventures that much with his relations? It was quite flattering, to be honest.

"Grandma, please!" Ben whines while he re-enters the room, depositing the peanut butter sandwiches his mother made next to the chili pot. "We're just friends, don't make things awkward at dinner!"

"O come now dear I'm just messing with you. Besides, jokes aside, I am glad you found someone you care about, romantic or not. It takes a lot of emotion to drag out a full transformation from an untrained Anodite, experienced in form change or not. You must have really wanted to save this young man." She was smiling slightly, obviously pleased with the current turn of events. I may be embarrassed but I am thankful for her care. She would not have come so quickly or teased us so thoroughly if she was not emotionally invested in the situation. It is good to know Ben has so many people looking out for him.

"Of course I did, he's my partner! I'd do anything to keep him safe, just like I would for Gwen or Kevin!" He says with a huff, but seemed to calm down a bit at her kinder words. 

"Now now everyone, enough talk, time to eat. Best not let all this good food we made go to waste! You can discuss their emotional constipation later!" Sandra cuts in, not helping the embarrassment but at least getting us all focused on consuming our necessary daily calories. And this meal I have to admit does seem more nutritious yet delicious than Ben's preferred intake of chili - layering a batch of fries that is. 

\---

Ben's POV

Dinner ends and grandma and Gwen finally head home. As great as it is to see them, spending time with grandma can get exhausting - for the body and the mind. And after today that wasn't quite the kind of excitement I was hoping for. At least I got my brawl though, even if it wasn't as physical as I'm used to.

Mom shoos Rook out of the kitchen when he tries to help with the dishes and insists he spend some 'quality time' with me. I'm still not entirely sure how to feel about my family trying to set us up. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel! Their comments reminded me that romance is an option on my emotional scale, but I hadn't even thought of it before so it all seems a little sudden. I do know I feel pretty strongly for him though, a lot stronger than I do for most people, even friends. Heck, even Kevin has commented I'm a bit overprotective of Rook. 

Still, even if I did like him, what then?

"Hey Rook, what are Revonnahgander customs on homosexuality?" Rook had barely sat down beside me -as he continued to give my mother a slightly disturbed look- when I asked, after which he promptly jumped.

"Um, nearly nonexistent to be honest. Our culture is so family based that few rarely tread outside of the heterosexual preference as it highly decreases their chance of creating biological offspring. When one does, our culture does not so much shun it as ignore it, treating it as just a slight inconvenience at most. It is more of an issue in a family environment than a social one, as ones father or mother may be disappointed from the lack of grandchildren. I doubt it would be an issue for my siblings or I though, as surely between the five of us someone will give them plentiful offspring." He said while scratching the back of his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Eh, just curious. With how much my family was teasing us I started wondering if it was even an option back home for you, to date a guy that is." And even if it is, that doesn't mean he'd be interested. He did mention his family wouldn't mind it though, so maybe he has been thinking of it too.

"They would probably have a larger issue if I dated an offworlder than if I dated a male. Mixed species couples are near nonexistent on Revonnah as a result of our more agriculture based society leading to a decreased amount of offworld interaction, and as a result they are still frowned upon. I have broken many other social barriers for my home though, so if needed I would not mind breaking one more." He says with a slight smile in my direction. Positive signs, good. Well, kinda.

"O? So you have been thinking of dating an 'offworlder'?" I ask with a grin, scooting closer and looking up towards him, eager for an answer. "Who's the lucky guy or gal?" 

He paused for a minute, searching my face. I started to deflate a bit, realizing I MIGHT have been a bit too forward with my curiosity. I wasn't even sure of how I felt about him yet, but I was already trying to get his answer on if he liked me? Kind of a dick move on my part. Then again, with how strongly I do feel right now, chances are if he responded positively I might just jump him anyway. That...was less worrying than it should be. Huh. Maybe I do like him a bit romantically.

Whatever he was looking for he must have found it, because he just smiled a teasing smile before saying, "If you have yet to notice that bit of information I gave you more credit than was due, as your family has been teasing us relentlessly all afternoon." So he does like me? Um. 

Before I knew it my face was flushed and I was grinning like crazy. I had never liked a guy before, so I was surprised at how thrilled I am about him liking me back. I did end up jumping him, right on top of him, and kissing him square on the lips. I grinned real quick before jumping off back to my seat, just staring up at him waiting for a response. He blinked a few times himself, the blush plainly visible through his fur again. He smiled a bit and was about to say something when I heard a cat whistle from the other room.

"You go boys!" Mom shouted happily from the doorway to the kitchen, "On the upside Rook darling, reproduction isn't an issue for Ben anymore! He's an Anodite, they can breed with whatever they please, male or female."

"Mom!" I shouted back. "Really! You just had to spoil the moment! And stop eavesdropping!" I could feel the blush on my neck, and I'm hoping that's not mana.

"Oops, sorry boys. Carry on, ignore me. I'm happy for you both though!" She says as she slips back into the kitchen, grinning on her way.

"Ugh, she just had to ruin the moment." I grumble as she vanishes, rubbing my face with my hands. I barely ever feel the need to be romantic, and when I do I prefer my focus uninterrupted.

"I still think it was quite nice. Also, it remains quite nice to see how supportive your family always is, no matter what life choices you make." Rook says with a smile, "I do quite love the enjoyable, energetic nature your family has. It is quite obvious where you got it from."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Still, we were kinda in the middle of something." I say as I look up to him, "So, you do like me?"

"I think my proclamation was quite clear, as was your response. Though I think we should try actually dating before any further confessions happen. I do prefer my own cultures courtship methods, and the kissing is already skipping a few steps."

I laugh awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head. "It's skipping a few here too, I just got excited. Besides, I never really follow rules anyway, as you love to point out. A date sounds...nice though. Movies?" 

"Fine, but if sumo slammers is playing, I get to bring my preferred snack. Those movies can be intolerable without consolation." He says, and I have to groan.

"O come on, they're awesome! I'll prove it too, come on! There's a sense of honor and strength in them, you just have to get over your exhaustion with them to see it!" 

I drag him off, and he's obviously not nearly as reluctant as he says, or he wouldn't be grinning like an idiot. Not that I can judge, I am too. Maybe this can work. I may never have thought of it, but it does feel awful right at the moment.


End file.
